If you think Jesus was a wimp, I have news for you.  He was anything but!  Jesus was, rather is, anti religion.  This can be plainly seen in His attitude toward the religious leaders who were anti Jesus.  Oh, He loved them with an unconditional love.  It was their actions and their motives He opposed.  It was the demands they placed on the Jews, their legalism, rule keeping, and petty stuff that placed an emphasis on doing, doing, doing that brought out His anger.  The letter of the law they taught instead of the spirit of the law.

He saw right through them.  He exposed them and showed that one could keep the law and yet not be a good person.  He showed, through the widow's mite, that it is not the amount that one gives, but rather the attitude and the motive.  Giving millions out of ones excess is less than one giving the last penny he has because he loves God.  He leveled the playing field when He told them if they did something for show and men praised them that would be their only reward.  The better way is to do something for God in secret and let Him reward you openly. 

Jesus said in every way He is interested in a relationship with each of us, not a performance.  When He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the father but by Me.”, He was very emphatic.  In fact you might find this very controversial and narrow from your point of view.  This may very well be the reason He said it.  He is taking a very strong stand here.  He says, your way is not the way – I am the way.  What you think is the truth may not be truth – I am the truth.  What you think is life may not really be a life – I am the life.  He said, “narrow is the way and few are those who find it.”

God said, “Come now, let us reason together.”  He was talking about sin in this context.  You may not know, or believe this, but performing for God is sin.  It is missing the mark.  That is what sin is – missing God's mark.  It is not His way.  Jesus is the way.  If performance was God's way, He would have guidelines set up so we would know what we have to do to be good enough to go to heaven.  If you believe you can, then show me the guidelines so I will know when I have reached it.  So I will know it is attainable.  But if I could, then Jesus wouldn't be the way.  He would be a way.

Have you ever wondered why no man could see God and live?  The same reason Jesus cried out on the cross “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”  God turned His back on Jesus because He bore all the sin of the world.  God could not look on the sin that Jesus bore.  Jesus had become sin.  Sin cannot live in God's presence.  This is what is so wonderful about Jesus’ crucifixion.  He received the punishment for every sin, EVERY SIN that had ever been committed or would ever be committed.  Yours – mine – Hitler’s – everyone’s.

God says, “Come let us reason together.”  Let's think about this.  He says He has given us the way to Him through Jesus.  Jesus became sin and suffered a painful, humiliating death on the cross of Calvary.  Not one sin was left uncovered.  This was God's plan before the foundation of the world.  Now reason with God, what can be added to the price Jesus paid that a person might be worthy to be in God's presence.  To say anything else has to be done is to say the price Jesus paid, the punishment He took, was not enough.  If you believe there is anything you can do, anything you can perform to be justified to enter God's presence then you believe Jesus is not the way, but a way.  One of the ways to Heaven, but if this is true, why would He go through the pain, the suffering, the humiliation if there were other ways?  If He is not The Way then he is a liar, a lunatic, a mental case, or a hypocrite.  You choose.

When the rich young ruler came to Jesus, he asked this question, “What must I do to be saved?”  I have heard many preachers end their message on this passage by saying the problem was the young man's wealth.  I don't believe this because Jesus said, “Nothing is impossible with God.”  The problem was not in his wealth, it was in the question he asked.  The emphasis on “What must I do to be saved”.  Find the scripture and read it yourself.  He was asking Jesus about his performance.  Jesus answered him openly and honestly in such a way that the young man walked off unable to perform it.  Was this Jesus requirement to be saved?  No, He just answered the man's question.  Reason it out in your own mind.  If he had asked how can I be saved, Jesus would have told him to confess with his mouth I am your savior and when I am crucified and raised from the dead believe in your heart that my Father did it.  (Romans 10:9, 10)  “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No man comes to the father but by me.”  (John 14:6)

A person's name is written in the Lambs Book of Life because he/she has received Jesus as savior, i.e., met the requirements of Romans 10:9, 10.  The Father says “Come let us reason together, though your sins be as scarlet, they will be white as snow.”

I am writing this because it breaks my heart that many I know think it is necessary to perform for God.  Religion is a performance.  Do this or don’t do this and you will go to heaven.  Do this or don’t do this and you will go to Hell.  This performance is not a healthy loving relationship.  We call these kinds of relationships dysfunctional.  Dysfunction is a real problem in the world today.  Why would God require a dysfunctional relationship?  God said, “I have begun a work in you and will continue it until the day of Jesus Christ”.  This is the work The Holy Spirit begins the split second you receive Jesus as your savior, i.e., confess Him with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.  This is God's way - The Way.